Amazing Africa!

'Jambo! Jambo! Jambo!' (Hello in Swahili) was the rowdy chorus coming from the children gathered around as we came out of our vehicles, their mothers calling out ‘Karibu, Karibu, Karibu’ (Welcome in Swahili).

Our arrival was greeted with much enthusiasm by the whole village. Even the chief’s sons were there, together with the young men of the tribe, to greet us with their traditional ‘jump’ dance, done by the young men of the tribe to impress the young women with their virility and hopefully attract a wife. These guys can really jump – some up to 60cm (2 ft) off the ground – very impressive! No wonder the young women are coyly checking them out, even some of the women in our group were watching, more than a little interested.

This was the warm welcome we experienced as we arrived at the Masai village in the Masai Mara on the last day of our fabulous tour to Tanzania and Kenya. The children gathered around, like children everywhere, anxious to see what we had in the bags we had brought with us. They were going to be pleasantly surprised – t-shirts, caps, pens and pencils, toys, cookies and other treats, stickers and lots of other goodies, we had come well prepared!

The Masai are herders – mainly of cattle and goats – and still live as they have done for centuries, resisting change and successfully retaining their age old culture. The Masai’s wealth and status is measured by the amount of cattle they have and they take good care of them. When travelling around Kenya & Tanzania you will often see one or two men or boys, dressed in their traditional red blankets, taking care of herds of up to 100 cattle or goats, walking them in search of food.
Sometimes in the heat of the day, you will see the herders sleeping in the shade of a tree while the cattle graze nearby. As the day draws to an end and the sun starts to set, the cattle are taken back to the village and a ‘boma’ (fence) is formed around them with thorn bush, to protect them from predators during the night.
This is Africa after all, with lions, leopards, cheetahs, jackal and hyena always on the prowl for their next meal. Quite often the cattle are herded into the centre of the village (enkang) and the boma encloses it all. The village we were visiting was one like that. There was lots of evidence of where the cattle had been the night before and we were careful where we put our feet, but the children ran barefoot and didn't worry at all.

We went into one of the huts that the Masai lived in, it took a few seconds for our eyes to adjust to the darkness inside. It was neat and tidy with a bed made of cow hides and a fire hearth in the centre for cooking food. It was divided into 3 separate areas, two for sleeping and one for living and cooking. It was remarkably cool inside, considering the heat of the day. The huts are built from sticks, mud and cattle dung, by the women of the tribe and there was even a small window, with no glass. The women are renowned for their exquisite beadwork and spend many long hours threading bead necklaces, earrings, bracelets and armbands. We were able to buy some of this beautiful beadwork and also some carvings, during our visit to the village.

We were entertained by songs from the women and children and more dancing by the men and gave our ‘treasures’ to the chief’s sons, who would see that they were equally divided between all the families. What a privilege it was to visit this village and to learn a little about the way of life of the remarkable Masai people.

Our safari (Swahili for ‘journey’) through Kenya and Tanzania saw us crossing the equator 3 times and staying at fabulous hotels - like the Mount Kenya Safari Club, once a hunting lodge owned by the film star William Holden - and in luxurious tented camps with hot water, en suite bathrooms and great food. We traveled in purpose built vehicles that gave everyone a window seat and with a roof that lifted up, so we were able to stand up and take photos of the incredible wild life we saw.

The animals were what we came for and we were not disappointed. It was the time of the annual animal migration from the Serengeti Plains in Tanzania, across the Mara River to the Masai Mara in Kenya.
There was a sea of wildlife as thousands of wildebeest and zebras, huge herds of elephants and graceful giraffes, trimming the tops of the acacia trees as they went along. There were too many species of antelopes to count and hippos wallowing in rivers and mud-holes, all accompanied by the predators - lions by the dozen, graceful cheetahs and the super-fast leopards, not to mention the crocodiles lying in wait in the river, all looking for their next meal.

On our last day we went on an incredible hot-air balloon safari at dawn over the Masai Mara plains. It was a magical experience, floating over the animals below us and afterwards enjoying a sumptuous champagne breakfast in the middle of nowhere, complete with armed guards to protect us from any animals that might be lurking nearby!. What an incredible experience to end an absolutely fantastic vacation!!

I hope you’ll join me on an incredible wildlife safari to Amazing Kenya & Tanzania one day soon!

Helen Van Den Berg – Melbourne, Australia on her 25^th trip to Africa